RallyRACC 2010: The result couldn’t be better

(29/10/2010)

Now that the 46 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España de 2010 is over, in addition to being confirmed as a new big organization success, the final result as regards the provision of innovations couldn't be better. Not only has the Spanish round been able to benefit from them, but also a new milestone has been set in the FIA World Rally Championship.

Aman Barfull, Director of the Sports Area at the RACC, and RallyRACC Clerk of the Course, makes a short review of the different aspects the organisers are especially proud of as regards the job done and the results. The demands of a World Championship round are very high, from all points of view, and the Rally de España has faced the challenges with the highest grades.

Show
“With the mixed Day, we have been able to provide our race with a new perspective and at the same time to open a new chance for rallies to recover the sporting complexity as well as their inherent spectacular nature. The fantastic images of all kinds and the opinions received reaffirm our stake. We had a project in January, which we shared with the makes and teams, and nine months later, we have the excellent results of a race that has created a new milestone”.

Television
“Many years ago we already had live broadcastings with another TV channel on a national level, but the collaboration between TV3, RACC and North One Sport in 2010 has given us the chance to take up this issue again and create new optics for Live TV, with a great number of technical possibilities which open the way for an encouraging future in which TV has to play an essential role. The RACC believes that the live TV coverage must be made during the race and not at the end in order to make use of the uncertainty as regards the classification and not having to compete on Sundays with other shows that are somehow more deep-rooted in TV”.

Safety
“The safety measures applied this year were a continuation of those we have been using in recent years. The single-car tracking provided by NOS allows us to watch the location of each vehicle at any time, but the intermediate radio points along the stages, every 2,500 metres in average, give us the chance to control the passage of the vehicles and to start an immediate search in case anyone is missing. This year we were able to confirm the efficiency of our control and assistance service with the heavy accident sustained by participant no. 15 during the Priorat 1 stage: we were able to know the exact state of the situation in 4 minutes and provide the drivers with medical assistance in only 8 minutes with the medical helicopter".

The environment
“Every year, the RallyRACC enjoys a high degree of contribution as regards environment-friendliness. We do not use plastic tape to delimit the no-go areas, we use reusable boards; the gravel tracks are repaired according to agreements signed with the town councils, we clean the tarmac roads and the spectator areas, as well as the areas surrounding them. All of this is done in the week after the rally. In 2009 we gathered almost 30 tons of waste. We also have an agreement with the Department of the Environment of the Catalan Government, according to which there are works done ahead of the rally in sensible forest areas to improve the condition of the vegetation”.

Infrastructure
“We have an extraordinary infrastructure in Salou and PortAventura since 6 years. Only very few rallies of the World Championship have such good and centrally located infrastructures, with an asphalted 70,000- m2 large service park, a hotel (PortAventura) only 100 metres away from it, the rally headquarters (Race Control and Media) in the new Convention Centre 100 metres from the hotel, etc. We definitely cannot find a place with better facilities in our current location”.

Accessibility
“The large spectator crowds experienced this year do nothing but confirm that the RallyRACC is a race which fans are looking forward to watching live.  We cannot overlook the fact, that for the public coming out to watch the rally, our rally is one of the most reasonable rallies in terms of costs, if not the most, in Europe. The extraordinary accommodation and restaurant offer at the Costa Daurada and the low-cost flights that connect different capitals with the airports in Reus and Barcelona, contribute to the fact that the number of spectators from abroad increases every year, in addition to the large crowds coming from different points of Spain and local fans, of course, all of whom contribute to the excitement experienced on the roadsides and in the service park.  We also have to thank the public for their self-discipline and their collaboration for making the rally on the roads a true example”.

Thank you all, see you in 2011
“The nearly 2,500 people, a large part of them volunteers, who have helped us to make the 46 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA a big success, must feel proud of having set the foundation stones for this new era which is beginning for our rally.  Thank you all, once again. And thank you also to our sponsors and collaborators. For the efforts they have been making year after year and for their trust. See you in 2011, a year in which we will have new participating groups which will add their names to an entry list that will surely be larger”.